Anapanasati - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Anapanasati
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

npnasati (Pali; Sanskrit npnasmti), meaning "mindfulness of

breathing" ("sati" means mindfulness; "npna" refers to inhalation and
exhalation[1]), is a form of Buddhist meditation now common to Tibetan,
Zen, Tiantai and Theravada Buddhism as well as Western-based
mindfulness programs. Anapanasati means to feel the sensations caused
by the movements of the breath in the body as is practiced in the context of
mindfulness. According to tradition, Anapanasati was originally taught by
Gautama Buddha in several suttas including the npnasati Sutta.[2] (MN
118)

Contents
1 Origins in Buddhism
2 The practice
2.1 Traditional sources
2.2 Anapanasati sutta
2.3 Modern sources
2.4 Active breathing, passive breathing
2.5 Scientifically demonstrated benefits
3 Stages of npnasati
4 In the Theravada tradition
5 In the Chinese tradition
6 In the Indo-Tibetan tradition
7 References
7.1 Bibliography
7.2 Primary sources
8 Further reading
9 External links

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Origins in Buddhism
Anapanasati is a core meditation practice in Theravada, Tiantai and Chan
traditions of Buddhism as well as a part of many mindfulness programs. In
both ancient and modern times, anapanasati by itself is likely the most
widely used Buddhist method for contemplating bodily phenomena.[3]
The npnasati Sutta specifically concerns mindfulness of inhalation and
exhalation, as a part of paying attention to one's body in quietude, and
recommends the practice of anapanasati meditation as a means of
cultivating the Seven Factors of Enlightenment: sati (mindfulness), dhamma
vicaya (analysis), viriya (persistence), which leads to pti (rapture), then to
passaddhi (serenity), which in turn leads to samadhi (concentration) and
then to upekkh (equanimity). Finally, the Buddha taught that, with these
factors developed in this progression, the practice of anapanasati would
lead to release (Pali: vimutti; Sanskrit moks) from dukkha (suffering), in
which one realizes nibbana.

The practice
Traditional sources
A traditional method given by the Buddha in the Satipatthana Sutta is to go
into the forest and sit beneath a tree and then to simply watch the breath, if
the breath is long, to notice that the breath is long, if the breath is short, to
notice that the breath is short.[4][5]
While inhaling and exhaling, the meditator practises:
training the mind to be sensitive to one or more of: the entire body,
rapture, pleasure, the mind itself, and mental processes
training the mind to be focused on one or more of: inconstancy,
dispassion, cessation, and relinquishment
steadying, satisfying, or releasing the mind.

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A popular non-canonical method used today, loosely based on the

Visuddhimagga, follows four stages:
1. repeatedly counting exhalations in cycles of 10
2. repeatedly counting inhalations in cycles of 10
3. focusing on the breath without counting
4. focusing only on the spot where the breath enters and leaves the
nostrils (i.e., the nostril and upper lip area).[6]
Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakoakrik also teaches the counting of breaths
to 10 as does the dhyna sutras translated into Chinese by An Shigao.[7]
This is organized into a teaching called the called "the six aspects" or " the
six means." which according to Florin Deleanu:
The practice starts with "counting" (ganana), which consists in
counting breathing from one to ten. When this is accomplished
without any counting failure (dosha), the practitioner advances to
the second step, i.e., "pursuing" (anugama), which means intently
following the inhalation as it enters the body and moves from the
throat, through the heart, the navel, the kidneys, the thighs to the
toes and then the reverse movement of the exhalation until it
leaves the body. Next comes" concentration" (sthapana) which
denotes focusing one's attention on some part of the body from the
tip of the nose to the big toe. In the fourth step, called"
observation" (upalaksana), the practitioner discerns that the air
breathed in and out as well as form (rupa, mind (citta), and mental
functions (caitta) ultimately consists of the four great elements. He
thus analyzes all the five aggregates. Next follows" the turning
away" (vivarta) which consists of changing the object of
observation from the air breathed in and out to "the wholesome
roots" of purity (kusalamula) and ultimately to "the highest
mundane dharma". The last step is called "purification"
(parisuddhi) and it marks entering the stage of" realization of the
Way", which in Abhidharma literature denotes the stage of "the
stream entry" (Sotpanna) that will inevitably lead the adept to

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Nirvana in no more than seven lives.[8]

Anapanasati sutta
Anapanasati is described in detail in the Anapanasati Sutta:
Breathing in long, he discerns, 'I am breathing in long'; or
breathing out long, he discerns, 'I am breathing out long.' Or
breathing in short, he discerns, 'I am breathing in short'; or
breathing out short, he discerns, 'I am breathing out short.' He
trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to the entire body.' He
trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to the entire body.' He
trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.' He trains
himself, 'I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication.'[9]
If it is pursued and well developed, it is said to bring great benefit according
to the Anapanasati Sutta: "This is how mindfulness of in-&-out breathing is
developed & pursued so as to be of great fruit, of great benefit.[9]" As for the
training, the Anapanasati sutta states:
On whatever occasion the monk remains focused on the body in &
of itself ardent, alert, & mindful putting aside greed & distress
with reference to the world, on that occasion his mindfulness is
steady & without lapse. When his mindfulness is steady & without
lapse, then mindfulness as a factor for awakening becomes
aroused. He develops it, and for him it goes to the culmination of
its development.[9]

Modern sources
First, for the practice to be successful, one should dedicate the practice,
and set out the goal of the meditation session.[10] One may decide to either
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practice anapanasati while seated or while walking, or to alternate seated

and walking meditation.[11] Then one may concentrate on the breath going
through one's nose: the pressure in the nostrils on each inhalation, and the
feeling of the breath moving along the upper lip on each exhalation.[11]
Other times practitioners are advised to attend to the breath at the tanden,
a point slightly below the navel and beneath the surface of the body.[11]
Practitioners may choose to count each inhalation, "1, 2, 3,..." and so on, up
to 10, and then begin from 1 again. Alternatively people sometimes count
the exhalation, "1, 2, 3,...," on both the inhalation and exhalation.[11] If the
count is lost then one should start again from the beginning.
The type of practice recommended in The Three Pillars of Zen is for one to
count "1, 2, 3,..." on the inhalation for a while, then to eventually switch to
counting on the exhalation, then eventually, once one has more consistent
success in keeping track of the count, to begin to pay attention to the breath
without counting. There are practitioners who count the breath all their lives
as well.[12] Beginning students are often advised to keep a brief daily
practice of around 10 or 15 minutes a day. Also, a teacher or guide of some
sort is often considered to be essential in Buddhist practice, as well as the
sangha, or community of Buddhists, for support.
When one becomes distracted from the breath, which happens to both
beginning and adept practitioners, either by a thought or something else,
then one simply returns their attention back to the breath. Philippe Goldin
has said that important "learning" occurs at the moment when practitioners
turn their attention back to the object of focus, the breath.[13]

Active breathing, passive breathing

Anapanasati is most commonly practiced with attention centered on the
breath, without any effort to change the breathing.
In the throat singing prevalent amongst the Buddhist monks of Tibet and
Mongolia[14] the long and slow outbreath during chanting is the core of the
practice. The sound of the chant also serves to focus the mind in
one-pointed concentration samadhi, while the sense of self dissolves as
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awareness becomes absorbed into a realm of pure sound.

In some Japanese Zen meditation, the emphasis is upon maintaining
"strength in the abdominal area"[15] (dantian or "tanden") and slow deep
breathing during the long outbreath, again to assist the attainment of a
mental state of one-pointed concentration. There is also a "bamboo
method," during which time one inhales and exhales in punctuated bits, as if
running one's hand along the stalk of a bamboo tree.[12]
Pranayama, or Yogic breath control, is very popular in traditional and
modern forms of Yoga.

Scientifically demonstrated benefits

The practice of focusing one's attention changes the brain in ways to
improve that ability over time; the brain grows in response to meditation.[16]
Meditation can be thought of as mental training, similar to learning to ride a
bike or play a piano.
Meditators experienced in focused attention meditation (anapanasati is a
type of focused attention meditation) showed a decrease in habitual
responding a 20-minute Stroop test, which, as suggested by Richard
Davidson and colleagues, may illustrate a lessening of emotionally reactive
and automatic responding behavior.[16] It has been scientifically
demonstrated that npnasati slows down the natural aging process of the
brain.[17]

Stages of npnasati
Formally, there are sixteen stages or contemplations of anapanasati.
These are divided into four tetrads (i.e., sets or groups of four). The first
four steps involve focusing the mind on breathing, which is the 'bodyconditioner' (Pali: kya-sankhra). The second tetrad involves focusing on
the feelings (vedan), which are the 'mind-conditioner' (Pali: cittasankhra). The third tetrad involves focusing on the mind itself (Pali: citta),

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and the fourth on 'mental qualities' (Pali: dhamma). (Compare right

mindfulness and satipatthana.)
Any anapanasati meditation session should progress through the stages in
order, beginning at the first, whether the practitioner has performed all
stages in a previous session or not.

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Satipahna
1. Contemplation of the
body

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anapanasati

npnasati

Tetrads

1. Breathing long (Knowing

Breath)
2. Breathing short (Knowing
Breath)

First Tetrad

3. Experiencing the whole body

4. Tranquillising the bodily
activities
2. Contemplation of
feelings

5. Experiencing rapture
6. Experiencing bliss
7. Experiencing mental
activities

Second
Tetrad

8. Tranquillising mental
activities
3. Contemplation of the
mind

9. Experiencing the mind

10. Gladdening the mind
11. Centering the mind in
samadhi

Third Tetrad

12. Releasing the mind

4. Contemplation of
Dhammas

13. Contemplating
impermanence
14. Contemplating fading of lust Fourth
Tetrad
15. Contemplating cessation
16. Contemplating
relinquishment

In the Theravada tradition

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According to several teachers in Theravada Buddhism, anapanasati alone

will lead to the removal of all one's defilements (kilesa) and eventually to
enlightenment. According to Roger Bischof, the Ven. Webu Sayadaw said
of anapanasati: "This is a shortcut to Nibbana, anyone can use it. It stands
up to investigation and is in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha
as conserved in the scriptures. It is the straight path to Nibbana."
Anapanasati can also be practised with other traditional meditation subjects
including the four frames of reference[18] and mett bhvan,[19] as is done
in modern Theravadan Buddhism.

In the Chinese tradition

In the second century, the Buddhist monk An
Shigao came from Northwest India to China and
became one of the first translators of Buddhist
scriptures into Chinese. He translated a version of
the npnasmti Stra between 148 and 170 CE.
This version is a significantly longer text than what
appears in the Ekottara gama, and is entitled, "The
Great npnasmti Stra" (Ch. )
(Taish Tripiaka 602).

Buddhacinga, a
monk who came to
China and widely
propagated
npnasmti
methods.

At a later date, Buddhacinga, more commonly

known as Fotudeng () (231-349 CE), came
from Central Asia to China in 310 and propagated
Buddhism widely. He is said to have demonstrated
many spiritual powers, and was able to convert the
warlords in this region of China over to
Buddhism.[20] He is well known for teaching methods of meditation, and
especially npnasmti. Fotudeng widely taught npnasmti through
methods of counting breaths, so as to temper to the breathing,
simultaneously focusing the mind into a state of peaceful meditative
concentration.[21] By teaching meditation methods as well as doctrine,
Fotudeng popularized Buddhism quickly. According to Nan Huaijin,
"Besides all its theoretical accounts of emptiness and existence, Buddhism
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also offered methods for genuine realization of spiritual powers and

meditative concentration that could be relied upon. This is the reason that
Buddhism began to develop so vigorously in China with Fotudeng."[21]
As more monks such as Kumrajva, Dharmanandi, Gautama
Saghadeva, and Buddhabhadra came to the East, translations of
meditation texts did as well, which often taught various methods of
npnasmti that were being used in India. These became integrated in
various Buddhist traditions, as well as into non-Buddhist traditions such as
Daoism.
In the sixth century, the Tiantai school was formed, teaching the One
Vehicle (Skt. Ekayna), the vehicle of attaining Buddhahood, as the main
principle, and three forms of amatha-vipayan correlated with the
meditative perspectives of emptiness, provisional existence, and the mean,
as the method of cultivating realization.[22] The Tiantai school places
emphasis on npnasmti in accordance with the principles of amatha
and vipayan. In China, the Tiantai understanding of meditation has had
the reputation of being the most systematic and comprehensive of all.[23]
The founder of the Tiantai school, Zhiyi, wrote many commentaries and
treatises on meditation. Of these texts, Zhiyi's Concise amatha-vipayan
( Xio Zhgun), his Mahamatha Vipayan ( Mh
Zhgun), and his Six Subtle Dharma Gates ( Li Mio Fmn) are
the most widely read in China.[23] Zhiyi classifies breathing into four main
categories: panting ( "chun"), unhurried breathing ( "fng"), deep and
quiet breathing ( "q"), and stillness or rest ( "xi"). Zhiyi holds that the
first three kinds of breathing are incorrect, while the fourth is correct, and
that the breathing should reach stillness and rest.[24] Venerable Hsuan Hua,
who taught Chan and Pure Land Buddhism, also taught that the external
breathing reaches a state of stillness in correct meditation:
A practitioner with sufficient skill does not breathe externally. That
external breathing has stopped, but the internal breathing
functions. With internal breathing there is no exhalation through
the nose or mouth, but all pores on the body are breathing. A

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person who is breathing internally appears to be dead, but actually

he has not died. He does not breathe externally, but the internal
breathing has come alive.[25]

In the Indo-Tibetan tradition

In the Tibetan Buddhist lineage, npnasmti is done to calm the mind in
order to prepare one for various other practices.
Two of the most important Mahyna philosophers, Asaga and
Vasubandhu, in the rvakabhmi chapter of the Yogcrabhmi-stra
and the Abhidharma-koa, respectively, make it clear that they consider
npnasmti a profound practice leading to vipayan (in accordance with
the teachings of the Buddha in the Sutra pitika).[26] However, as scholar
Leah Zahler has demonstrated, "the practice traditions related to
Vasubandhu's or Asaga's presentations of breath meditation were
probably not transmitted to Tibet."[27] Asaga correlates the sixteen stages
of npnasmti with the four smtyupasthnas in the same way that the
npnasmti Sutra does, but because he does not make this explicit the
point was lost on later Tibetan commentators.[28]
As a result, the largest Tibetan lineage, the Gelug, came to view
npnasmti as a mere preparatory practice useful for settling the mind but
nothing more.[29] Zahler writes:
The practice tradition suggested by the Treasury itself--and also by
Asaga's Grounds of Hearers--is one in which mindfulness of
breathing becomes a basis for inductive reasoning on such topics
as the five aggregates; as a result of such inductive reasoning, the
meditator progresses through the Hearer paths of preparation,
seeing, and meditation. It seems at least possible that both
Vasubandhu and Asaga presented their respective versions of
such a method, analogous to but different from modern Theravda
insight meditation, and that Gelukpa scholars were unable to
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reconstruct it in the absence of a practice tradition because of the

great difference between this type of inductive meditative
reasoning based on observation and the types of meditative
reasoning using consequences (thal 'gyur, prasaanga) or
syllogisms (sbyor ba, prayoga) with which Gelukpas were familiar.
Thus, although Gelukpa scholars give detailed interpretations of
the systems of breath meditation set forth in Vasubandu's and
Asaga's texts, they may not fully account for the higher stages of
breath meditation set forth in those texts. . . it appears that neither
the Gelukpa textbook writers nor modern scholars such as Lati
Rinpoche and Gendun Lodro were in a position to conclude that
the first moment of the fifth stage of Vasubandhu's system of
breath meditation coincides with the attainment of special insight
and that, therefore, the first four stages must be a method for
cultivating special insight.[30]
Zahler continues,
[I]t appears . .that a meditative tradition consisting of analysis
based on observationinductive reasoning within
meditationwas not transmitted to Tibet; what Gelukpa writers call
analytical meditation is syllogistic reasoning within meditation.
Thus, Jamyang Shaypa fails to recognize the possibility of an
'analytical meditation' based on observation, even when he cites
passages on breath meditation from Vasubandhu's Treasury of
Manifest Knowledge and, especially, Asaga's Grounds of Hearers
that appear to describe it.[31]
Stephen Batchelor, who for years was monk in the Gelukpa lineage,
experienced this firsthand. He writes, "such systematic practice of
mindfulness was not preserved in the Tibetan traditions. The Gelugpa
lamas know about such methods and can point to long descriptions of
mindfulness in their Abhidharma works, but the living application of the
practice has largely been lost. (Only in dzog-chen, with the idea of
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'awareness' [rig pa] do we find something similar.) For many Tibetans the
very term 'mindfulness' (sati in Pali, rendered in Tibetan by dran pa) has
come to be understood almost exclusively as 'memory' or 'recollection.'"[32]
As Batchelor noted, however, in other traditions, particularly the Kagyu and
Nyingma, mindfulness based on npnasmti practice is considered to be
quite profound means of calming the mind to prepare it for the higher
practices of Dzogchen and Mahamudra. For the Kagyupa, in the context of
mahmudr, npnasmti is thought to be the ideal way for the meditator
to transition into taking the mind itself as the object of meditation and
generating vipayan on that basis.[33] The prominent contemporary
Kagyu/Nyingma master Chogyam Trungpa, echoing the Kagyu Mahmudr
view, wrote, "your breathing is the closest you can come to a picture of your
mind. It is the portrait of your mind in some sense. . .The traditional
recommendation in the lineage of meditators that developed in the KagyuNyingma tradition is based on the idea of mixing mind and breath."[34] The
Gelukpa allow that it is possible to take the mind itself as the object of
meditation, however, Zahler reports, the Gelukpa discourage it with "what
seems to be thinly disguised sectarian polemics against the Nyingma Great
Completeness [Dzogchen] and Kagyu Great Seal [mahmudr]
meditations."[35]
In the Pacakrama tantric tradition ascribed to (the Vajrayana) Nagarjuna,
npnasmti counting breaths is said to be sufficient to provoke an
experience of vipayan (although it occurs in the context of "formal tantric
practice of the completion stage in highest yogatantra").[36][37]

References
1. "npna". The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary. Digital Dictionaries
of South Asia, University of Chicago.

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2. In the Pali canon, the instructions for anapanasati are presented as either one
tetrad (four instructions) or four tetrads (16 instructions). The most famous
exposition of four tetrads after which Theravada countries have a national
holiday (see uposatha) is the Anapanasati Sutta, found in the Majjhima
Nikaya sutta 118 (for instance, see Thanissaro, 2006
(http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.118.than.html)). Other
discourses which describe the full four tetrads can be found in the Samyutta
Nikaya's Anapana-samyutta (Ch. 54), such as SN 54.6 (Thanissaro, 2006a),
SN 54.8 (Thanissaro, 2006b) and SN 54.13 (Thanissaro, 1995a). The
one-tetrad exposition of anapanasati is found, for instance, in the Kayagata-sati
Sutta (MN 119; Thanissaro, 1997), the Maha-satipatthana Sutta (DN 22;
Thanissaro, 2000) and the Satipatthana Sutta (MN 10; Thanissaro, 1995b).
3. Anlayo 2003, p. 125.
4. Majjhima Nikaya, Sutta No. 118, Section No. 2, translated from the Pali
5. Satipatthana Sutta
6. Kamalashila (2004). Meditation: The Buddhist Way of Tranquillity and Insight.
Birmingham: Windhorse Publications; 2r.e. edition. ISBN 1-899579-05-2..
Regarding this list's items, the use of counting methods is not found in the Pali
Canon and is attributed to the Buddhaghosa in his Visuddhimagga. According
to the Visuddhimagga, counting (Pali: gaan) is a preliminary technique,
sensitizing one to the breath's arising and ceasing, to be abandoned once one
has consistent mindful connection (anubandh) with in- and out-breaths (Vsm
VIII, 195-196). Sustained breath-counting can be soporific or cause thought
proliferation (see, e.g., Anlayo, 2006, p. 133, n. 68).
7. Deleanu, Florin; Mindfulness of Breathing in the Dhyna Stras. Transactions
of the International Conference of Orientalists in Japan (TICOJ) 37, 1992,
42-57. https://ahandfulofleaves.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/mindfulnessof-breathing-in-the-dhayana-sutra_florin-deleanu_1992.pdf
8. Deleanu, Florin; Mindfulness of Breathing in the Dhyna Stras. Transactions
of the International Conference of Orientalists in Japan (TICOJ) 37, 1992,
42-57. https://ahandfulofleaves.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/mindfulnessof-breathing-in-the-dhayana-sutra_florin-deleanu_1992.pdf
9. this is cited from Anapanasati sutta (http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka
/mn/mn.118.than.html) translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu(2006)
10. John Dunne talks on Buddhist phenomenology from the Indo-Tibetan textual
point of view at http://ccare.stanford.edu/node/21
11. The Three Pillars of Zen (New York: Anchor Books, 2000) ISBN 0-385-26093-8
12. "Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy" by Katsuki Sekida
13. Philippe Goldin in Cognitive Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf6Q0G1iHBI
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14. The One Voice Chord (http://home3.inet.tele.dk/hitower/voice.html)

15. Tanden: Source of Spiritual Strength (http://www.zbtc.org/kongo-tanden.html)
16. Attention regulation and monitoring in meditation (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
/pmc/articles/PMC2693206/) by Antoine Lutz, Heleen A. Slagter, John D.
Dunne, and Richard J. Davidson at University of Wisconsin
17. "Long-term meditation fights age-related cognitive decline" at Mempowered!,
August 2011 (http://www.memory-key.com/research/news/longterm-meditation-fights-age-related-cognitive-decline)
18. In regards to practicing anapanasati in tandem with other frames of reference
(satipatthana), Thanissaro (2000) writes:
At first glance, the four frames of reference for satipatthana practice
sound like four different meditation exercises, but MN 118 [the
Anapanasati Sutta] makes clear that they can all center on a single
practice: keeping the breath in mind. When the mind is with the breath, all
four frames of reference are right there. The difference lies simply in the
subtlety of one's focus.... [A]s a meditator get more skilled in staying with
the breath, the practice of satipatthana gives greater sensitivity in peeling
away ever more subtle layers of participation in the present moment until
nothing is left standing in the way of total release.
19. According to Kamalashila (2004), one practices anapanasati with mett
bhvan in order to prevent withdrawal from the world and the loss of
compassion.
20. Nan, Huai-Chin. Basic Buddhism: Exploring Buddhism and Zen. 1997. pp.
80-81
21. Nan, Huai-Chin. Basic Buddhism: Exploring Buddhism and Zen. 1997. p. 81
22. Nan, Huai-Chin. Basic Buddhism: Exploring Buddhism and Zen. 1997. p. 91
23. Luk, Charles. The Secrets of Chinese Meditation. 1964. p. 110
24. Luk, Charles. The Secrets of Chinese Meditation. 1964. p. 125
25. Hsuan Hua. The Chan Handbook. 2004. p. 44
26. Study and Practice of Meditation: Tibetan Interpretations of the Concentrations
and Formless Absorptions by Leah Zahler. Snow Lion Publications: 2009 pg
107-108)
27. Study and Practice of Meditation: Tibetan Interpretations of the Concentrations
and Formless Absorptions by Leah Zahler. Snow Lion Publications: 2009 pg
108)
28. Zahler 119-126
29. Zahler 108
30. Zahler 108, 113
31. Zahler 306

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32. The Faith to Doubt: Glimpses of Buddhist Uncertainty. by Stephen Batchelor.

Parallax Press Berkeley: 1990 pg 8
33. Pointing Out the Great Way: The Stages of Meditation in the Mahamudra
tradition by Dan Brown. Wisdom Publications: 2006 pg 221-34
34. The Path is the Goal, in The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa, Vol Two.
Shambhala Publications. pgs 49, 51
35. (Zahler 131-2)
36. Brown 2006, p. 221.
37. Mathes (2013), p. 378.

Bibliography
Anlayo (2003). Satipahna : the direct path to realization.
Birmingham: Windhorse. ISBN 1-899579-54-0.
Brown, Daniel P. (2006). Pointing Out the Great Way: The Stages of
Meditation in the Mahamudra Tradition. Simon and Schuster.
ISBN 978-0-86171-304-2.
Mathes, Klaus-Dieter (8 February 2013). A Direct Path to the Buddha
Within: Go Lotsawa's Mahamudra Interpretation of the
Ratnagotravibhaga. Wisdom Publications. ISBN 978-0-86171-915-0.
Kamalashila (1996; 2004 [2nd ed.]). Meditation: The Buddhist Way of
Tranquillity and Insight. Birmingham: Windhorse Publications. ISBN
1-899579-05-2.

Primary sources
Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1995a). Ananda Sutta: To Ananda (On
Mindfulness of Breathing) (SN 54.13). Retrieved on 2007-05-20 from
"Access to Insight" at: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn54
/sn54.013.than.html.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1995b). Satipatthana Sutta: Frames of
Reference (MN 10). Retrieved on 2007-05-20 from "Access to Insight"
at: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.010.than.html.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997). Kayagata-sati Sutta: Mindfulness
Immersed in the Body (MN 119). Retrieved on 2007-05-20 from
"Access to Insight" at: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anapanasati

/mn/mn.119.than.html.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2000). Maha-satipatthana Sutta: The
Great Frames of Reference (DN 22). Retrieved on 2007-05-20 from
"Access to Insight: Readings in Theravada Buddhism," at
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.22.0.than.html.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2006a). Arittha Sutta: To Arittha (On
Mindfulness of Breathing) (SN 54.6). Retrieved on 2007-05-20 from
"Access to Insight" at: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn54
/sn54.006.than.html.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2006b). Dipa Sutta: The Lamp (SN 54.8).
Retrieved on 2007-05-20 from "Access to Insight" at:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn54/sn54.008.than.html.

Further reading
Mindfulness with Breathing by Buddhadsa Bhikkhu. Wisdom
Publications, Boston, 1996. ISBN 0-86171-111-4.
Breath by Breath by Larry Rosenberg. Shambhala Classics, Boston,
1998. ISBN 1-59030-136-6.
Tranquillity and Insight by Amadeo Sole-Leris. Shambhala, 1986. ISBN
0-87773-385-6.
"The Anapanasati Sutta / A Practical Guide to Mindfulness of Breathing
and Tranquil Wisdom Meditation" by Bhante Vimalaramsi. Yin Shun
Foundation, January 1999; First Edition edition (1999). ASIN:
B00183T9XW

External links
Ekottara gama 17.1: The npnasmti
Stra (http://lapislazulitexts.com
/anapanasmrti_sutra.html)
Analysis of the npnasati Sutta
(http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/bps
/leaves/bl115.html)

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Wikisource has
original text
related to this
article:
Ekottara
gama 17.1:

4/15/16 5:37 PM

Anapanasati - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anapanasati

npnasati (https://web.archive.org
npnasmti
/web/20140327084119/http:
Stra
//www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file
/anapanasati.pdf), a free e-book by Buddhadasa
npnasati Mindfulness with Breathing: Unveiling the Secrets of
Life (http://www.dhammatalks.net/Books3
/Bhikkhu_Buddhadasa_Anapanasati_Mindfulness_with_Breathing.htm)
by Buddhadasa
npnasati instructions (http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism
/vimalaramsi/main.html) from Bhante Vimalaramsi
npnasati: A concise instruction (https://web.archive.org
/web/20120327185337/http://www.dhammatalks.net/Books10
/Pa_Auk_Sayadaw-Mindfulness_of_Breathing.pdf) by Pa Auk Sayadaw
Basic Breath Meditation Instructions (http://www.accesstoinsight.org
/lib/authors/thanissaro/breathmed.html) by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
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